Brebner Changala says Edgar Lungu and Dr Chitalu Chilufya are in the same league, hence the Anti-Corruption Commission’s fear to arrest the health minister.
“And this is the challenge the Zambian people face. We are being led by people of questionable character. I must confess that we are living in very extraordinary times where some people are more equal than others. And when it comes to those who are not in good books with the State or with the government as it were, the Anti-Corruption Commission is very swift and it dramatises the arrests, and the information flow is very efficient,” says Changala. “The impunity and the unprecedented corruption that we have seen in this country has been at the higher level in the inner circle of President Lungu and the entire Executive.”
The truth is the Ministry of Health, which Dr Chilufya heads, is the main source of money for Edgar and his league. If that tap is tightly closed, they would have serious problems financing their politics and lifestyles.
For a long time, the Ministry of Health has been a conduit for stealing public funds.
We still remember how it was very difficult for Levy Mwanawasa to allow the arrest and prosecution of Kashiwa Bulaya, a former Ministry of Health permanent secretary under the Frederick Chiluba regime, for corruption. Bulaya was used by Chiluba to steal money from the Ministry of Health to finance Levy’s campaign in 2001. It was Bulaya who was every week delivering campaign money to Levy.
When it came to arresting Bulaya for corruption Levy tried very hard to protect him. It took two months of daily editorial comments by The Post for Levy to give in and allow the arrest and prosecution of Bulaya.
And when it comes to the Ministry of Health corruption, Edgar is a beneficiary and cannot easily wash his hands like Pontius Pilate and allow Dr Chilufya to be crucified and nailed to the cross.
The pharmaceutical business in Zambia has been destroyed by the corruption of this regime. Most of the companies supplying drugs to our hospitals belong to them or are in their corrupt league. Those not in their corrupt network are not having it easy.
So Edgar will not easily let Dr Chilufya arrested and prosecuted for corruption. It’s too risky for him to allow that. It will take a lot of pressure from the public and other institutions for Edgar to sacrifice Dr Chilufya.